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BetaNews.Com (18 non lus)

Google's latest transparency report reveals the futility of transparency reports -- and increased data requests

Publié: octobre 12, 2016, 9:57pm CEST par Mark Wilson

As has become the norm for big tech companies these days, Google has just published its latest transparency report. The report reveals -- in very, very broad strokes -- the number of requests for user data the company has received from the US government. In a groundbreaking revelation (and -- please -- note the sarcasm) the lifting of a gag restriction by the FBI means Google is now able to report about the number of National Security Letters it received in Q2 2015. Sort of. "We have updated the range of NSLs received in that period [...] from 0-499 to… [Continue Reading]
Cloud apps give businesses a 'huge' competitive advantage

Publié: octobre 12, 2016, 7:36pm CEST par Sead Fadilpašić

Businesses in Europe that have sent at least one of their core business areas to the cloud now have a "huge" competitive advantage over their peers, according to a new report by Frost & Sullivan. The company says businesses that have adopted a cloud-based approach for either accounting, customer relationship management (CRM) or enterprise resource planning (ERP) are reaping the benefits of their (r)evolutionary approach. The report is based on a poll of 600 senior IT decision makers from a cross section of industries throughout Europe. "For businesses in Europe, cost savings are not the main driver for moving to… [Continue Reading]
Few businesses are prepared for GDPR

Publié: octobre 12, 2016, 6:12pm CEST par Sead Fadilpašić

The GDPR is drawing ever closer, but organizations which will be directly affected by it still don't know how to approach the new regulation, a new study by Dell shows. Ever since it was unveiled that the General Data Protection Regulation will come into effect in May 2018, surveys have been done to see if companies are preparing themselves for it, and if they will be ready to comply with it in time. Never have these reports shown positive or encouraging results, and the new one by Dell is no different. Still, organizations aren't even close to being prepared. More… [Continue Reading]
PC shipments decline -- some consumers may never upgrade again

Publié: octobre 12, 2016, 5:14pm CEST par Mihăiță Bamburic

The PC market can't catch a break, as shipments continue to drop. If you ask Gartner, we are looking at a 5.7 percent decline year-over-year for Q3 2016. IDC, meanwhile, says that the decrease is of just 3.9 percent. But no matter which figure is closer to the truth, it is clear that it will be extremely hard -- if not impossible -- for PC vendors to turn things around. Gartner says that Q3 2016 is the eighth consecutive quarter when PC shipments decline, calling this "the longest duration of decline in the history of the PC industry". And it… [Continue Reading]
Huawei partners with UC Berkeley to develop AI

Publié: octobre 12, 2016, 4:50pm CEST par Anthony Spadafora

Huawei had decided to enter into a partnership with the University of California, Berkeley, in order to develop and apply artificial intelligence (AI) to our daily lives. Noah's Ark Laboratory, the company's research unit that specializes in the development of machine learning, AI and data mining, is responsible for setting up the partnership between it and the university. Huawei's AI researchers will be collaborating with those from UC Berkeley's new Artificial Intelligence Research lab. Together they will be working on a range of subjects related to AI such as natural language processing, reinforcement learning and computer vision. The partnership is… [Continue Reading]
Most businesses haven't inspected cloud services for malware

Publié: octobre 12, 2016, 4:24pm CEST par Ian Barker

Echoing the findings we reported earlier that companies leave cloud protection to third-parties, a new study from cloud security company Netskope reveals most companies don't scan their cloud services for malware either. The study conducted with the Ponemon Institute shows 48 percent of companies surveyed don't inspect the cloud for malware and 12 percent are unsure if they do or not. Of those that do inspect 57 percent of respondents say they found malware. It also shows that while 49 percent of business applications are now stored in the cloud, fewer than half of them (45 percent) are known, officially sanctioned or approved by IT.… [Continue Reading]
Snowden-endorsed Signal gains Facebook-style disappearing messages

Publié: octobre 12, 2016, 3:25pm CEST par Mark Wilson

Facebook's recently rolled-out Secret Conversations heralded the arrival of not only end-to-end encryption for users, but also disappearing messages. Not to be outdone, Edward Snowden's favorite messaging service, Signal, has followed suit. The company behind the app, Open Whisper Systems, points out that the feature is not really designed to further improve security and privacy; rather it is a way "to keep your message history tidy". The feature has made its way to the Android, iOS and desktop versions of Signal, and one of the more noteworthy aspects of disappearing messages is the timing of the release. Facebook Messenger's Secret… [Continue Reading]
New camera technology makes video conferencing a snap

Publié: octobre 12, 2016, 3:21pm CEST par Ian Barker

With increasingly distributed workforces, video conferencing is more than ever an essential business tool. But in conference rooms the size and shape of the space can make it difficult for conventional cameras to include everyone. Video conferencing technology company Lifesize is launching a new camera with a smart-framing sensor that intelligently adjusts its wide-angle lens to automatically capture and include everyone in the meeting. The Lifesize Icon 450 pairs with the company's cloud-based video communication program to create a collaboration hub that's simple for end users to operate and easy for IT administrators to support. "For most businesses the conference… [Continue Reading]
HP announces refreshed line of Windows PCs for the holidays

Publié: octobre 12, 2016, 3:19pm CEST par Alan Buckingham

It seems like it was just yesterday we were putting up the decorations, and we've only just put away the bathing suits. Now it's time to think about going through the whole cycle again. We know some of the new tech that will be hitting the store shelves this forthcoming holiday season because some was announced way back in January at the Consumer Electronics Show. On the other hand, some is only just being unveiled, hoping to capture the news cycle and be fresh in consumer minds as the wish lists begin to get written. One of those companies announcing… [Continue Reading]
Enterprises leave protection of cloud data to third-party providers

Publié: octobre 12, 2016, 3:02pm CEST par Ian Barker

Businesses are increasingly moving their systems to the cloud, but 62 percent rely on the cloud provider to back up applications running on their platform. New research from secure cloud services company CTERA Networks reveals that 67 percent of organizations deploy more than 25 percent of their applications in the cloud, and 37 percent plan to grow their cloud use by at least 25 percent, if not more. In addition, 54 percent of organizations are embracing a hybrid cloud strategy that uses both on-premises and cloud services. However, 66 percent strongly or somewhat agree that there is less focus on… [Continue Reading]
[Giveaway] 10 Casetify iPhone 7 cases up for grabs, with multiple chances to win

Publié: octobre 12, 2016, 2:20pm CEST par Wayne Williams

The iPhone 7 is Apple’s most attractive iPhone to date, and it comes in a choice of five colors: Silver, Gold, Rose Gold, Black and Jet Black (RIP Space Gray). The Jet Black is our personal favorite, although there have been reports of its glossy finish showing up scratches. If you want to protect your iPhone, then a case is a must, but you don’t want just any old cover. This is where Casetify’s cases differ from the competition. With over a million unique designs to choose from, you’re bound to find one that suits your style. The cases have… [Continue Reading]
Can Process Explorer stop malware infections -- not just detect them?

Publié: octobre 12, 2016, 2:10pm CEST par Mike Williams

Sysinternals’ Process Explorer has always been used to detect malware infections, but that’s just the start of its advantages. Just running the program in the background might stop some threats installing in the first place. This works because some malware tries to detect when it’s being watched. If it spots common monitoring tools running in the background it won’t drop the payload, making you think there’s nothing to worry about, and keeping the main package hidden just a little longer. PaFish for Office Macro is an Office document which collects together some of these anti-forensic tricks. Your antivirus software might… [Continue Reading]
Microsoft HoloLens coming to Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, and UK

Publié: octobre 12, 2016, 12:45pm CEST par Brian Fagioli

While virtual reality can transport a user into a different "world", augmented reality enhances the actual world. In other words, AR arguably has more potential than VR. Quite frankly, actual reality is pretty great already -- do we really need to be transported to a different virtual reality? Our time on the Earth is short -- who has time for make-believe? AR could one day improve our everyday lives. One of the more intriguing augmented reality solutions comes from Microsoft. Its HoloLens device has sparked the imaginations of many, getting developers -- including NASA -- excited. Unfortunately, the device has not… [Continue Reading]
Lack of visibility leads to cloud storage security issues

Publié: octobre 12, 2016, 12:05pm CEST par Ian Barker

A lack of visibility into an organization's use of cloud providers can lead to unauthorized access to data, improper handling and storage of data and unauthorized data removal. As a result, organizations are left exposed and vulnerable to a data breach. This is among the findings of a new report from the Blancco Technology Group. Based on a survey of almost 300 IT professionals around the world it finds that 26 percent of organizations are either 'not confident' or only 'somewhat confident' about their IT teams' knowledge of the use of all cloud storage providers. This is despite the fact… [Continue Reading]
What you need to know about software-defined networking

Publié: octobre 12, 2016, 10:56am CEST par Ian Barker

As more and more systems move to the cloud, so we’re becoming increasingly used to accessing all systems on an as-a-service model. Networking is no exception to this and by using software-defined networking businesses can break away from the restrictions imposed by old, inflexible static network architecture. SDN allows companies to master the complex nature of their networks and have a single point of control. At the same time it opens up the possibility of automating network management to allow it to cope with fluctuations in traffic and demand. Origins of SDN The idea of software-defined networking isn’t new, it… [Continue Reading]
Camtasia 9 license now gets you Windows and Mac versions

Publié: octobre 12, 2016, 9:37am CEST par Mike Williams

TechSmith has unveiled Camtasia 9 ($199), a major release for the comprehensive video creator. License changes don’t usually top the "new features" list, but this one is big: buying a single license now allows you to install Camtasia on both Windows and Mac. Behaviors are new motion effects -- bounces, rolls, fades, slides, jumps -- for your text, images and video. You can apply them by dragging and dropping, or fine-tune every aspect of the animation to suit your needs. A library of "Video Assets" gives you intro slides, backgrounds, music tracks, icons and assorted other professionally-designed components, ready to… [Continue Reading]
Toshiba announces WiGig Dock with USB Type-C and 4K video

Publié: octobre 12, 2016, 3:39am CEST par Brian Fagioli

WiGig is really impressive technology -- wireless docking can feel like magic. Imagine connecting your laptop to a USB keyboard, mouse, Ethernet, monitor, and more without wires. Yeah, a WiGig dock can do that. You might expect the connection to be iffy -- lag from peripherals or stuttering video. Actually, in my experience, it works flawlessly -- you can't tell that it is wireless. Today, Toshiba announces the unimaginatively named 'WiGig Dock'. It features some essential connections -- 2 x USB 3.0, 2 x USB 2.0, gigabit Ethernet, 3.5mm audio, DisplayPort, and HDMI. It also has a USB-C port for connecting machines… [Continue Reading]
Western Digital redesigns 'My Passport' and 'My Book' USB hard drives for Windows and Mac

Publié: octobre 12, 2016, 12:43am CEST par Brian Fagioli

USB hard drives can be an important part of your backup plans. Whether for home or business, they allow you to easily backup your files and then take them with you. You can even lock the drive in a safe for extra security. While you can also use the cloud for backing up data, redundancy with a USB HDD is very smart -- just in case. Western Digital's USB hard disk drives are wildly popular, and today, the company announces a refresh of two such models for Windows and Mac -- the 'My Passport' and 'My Book'. The concept is the same --… [Continue Reading]